Why riding the LIRR to Penn Station just became 500% more dangerous

Published on: September 21st, 2010
| Last updated: June 29, 2017
Written by: Bad Guy Joe

LIRR ‘protect’ locomotives getting into position just before rush hour, one late summer day in 1991

If you can cut through the foamer speak, this thread is pretty scary. In a nutshell, on September 13, 2010, the LIRR eliminated a ‘rescue’ train that helped maintain service and protect commuters lives.

Elimination of ‘the harold protect’.
Since the dawn of sanity, the LIRR has kept a set of “protect” locomotives (and crew to operate them) just east of the tunnels into Penn Station. This set of locomotives and associated personnel was refereed to as ‘the harold protects’ – named after the old railroad tower at 39th avenue bridge in Queens where they were based. This job was on call during the day, every weekday. They were tasked with “rescuing” stalled trains from the east river tunnels. This would save the railroad from potentially having to shut down or drastically delay 50% of its inbound and outbound trains from Penn when a train gets stuck under the river. The locomotives were diesel powered, allowing them to operate through the tunnels even when there is a problem with the electrical supply used by nearly all of the LIRR’s trains.

One can think of the ‘protect crew’ as you might the fire department or police: by eliminating this service, the time estimates for removing a train stuck in these tunnels has grown. Insiders claim it could be as high as five hours. In emergency situations, that’s far, far too long. The personnel and equipment used for the protect train were no more idle thumb twiddling money-wasters than your local fire department. Sure, they probably have a measure of downtime in their day, but when your train gets stuck in the tunnel without electricity in the middle of summer – you now have a very dangerous situation.

Rated as the most dangerous tunnels to be in, on a good day, by seasoned explorersEast River tunnel exploring, 1996

The tunnels themselves are rated well within the top five deadliest tunnels in NYC by our experienced team of intrepid insomniac tunnelophiles. You really – REALLY – do not want to get stuck down there. Most tunnels have emergency exists to the surface, but due to these tunnel being under the river, exits are few and far between. They were originally equipped with ladders and spiral staircases not conducive to evacuating a train filled with hundreds of passengers. It is also a long walk through this tunnel from exit to exit. For contrast, in the subways there are emergency exits to the street every 600-800 feet, they consist of a set of stairs up to a hatch leading to sidewalks on the streets above. The LIRR tunnel exits are generally older, smaller, and not built with rapid escapes in mind. Having witnessed the narrow track shelves and ridiculously non-functional ’emergency exits’ of the east river tunnels firsthand, I can tell you with 500% certitude that in case of emergency, these tunnels are definitely not where you want to be.

It is estimated by some of the LIRR’s own employees that the MTA is at best saving a few thousand bucks on this cutback. It only required 2-3 employees on the shift each week, using 2 locomotives that were long bought and paid for – which are now left sitting in Jamaica not being used for anything. They represent hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment that the LIRR has now let rust away, un-maintained.

At a minimum, this cutback has already cost commuters with delays – over the last seven years, numerous trains were stuck in these tunnels. Without a dedicated LIRR crew to ‘rescue’ the train, the LIRR has been forced to rely on Amtrak for this service. Amtrak, of course, has their own problems.

In the end, it is LIRR customers who lose. That loss is seen whenever a train gets stuck in these tunnels, and a ripple effect delays thousands of commuters. Fortunately it has only been resulted in a monetary loss for commuters. When a real disaster strikes, the stakes will be much higher.

*Note* This article was drastically re-written and updated from it’s original format, published in 2010.

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3 responses to “Why riding the LIRR to Penn Station just became 500% more dangerous”

They should have never got rid of this position in 2010. It’s crazy how out of all the things that were reinstated or newly implemented, this job wasn’t, and with all the madness that has been happening these post several months, maybe the MTA will be smart to reinstate this job after the mitigation work at Penn is complete.

Though LIRR eliminated the Harold Protect, Amtrak has several protect engines that perform the same task located at Penn Station, Sunnyside Yard and Secaucus Junction. So LIRR eliminating the position doesn’t really affect much.

I would disagree. One less crew available is one less set of hands for any occasion where multiple trains might get stuck. I mean amtrak no disrespect, but I’m sure their priority is for amtrak’s needs & customers.

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About The Author

Bad Guy Joe

Bad Guy Joe knows more about the NYC underground than anyone else on or below the surface of this planet. He has spent nearly 30 years sneaking into NYC's more forbidden locations. When not underground, he's probably bitching about politicians or building something digital.

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